Lawrence Ferber timed his visit to Rio de Janeiro well, arriving just in time for the announcement that the city won its Olympic bid for 2016. He sends along a dispatch from the weekend's festivities.
RIO
DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - Obrigado, Olympics Committee! A geyser-like
spray of silver confetti greeted the announcement that Rio won the bid to host
the 2016 Olympics, and the glittering cloud engulfed the jubilant crowd of Cariocas who had gathered in front of the Copacabana Beach stage, flanked by giant TV
screens, to take in the news and par-tay.
With the famed Copacabana Palace Hotel looming to the left, and the ocean to the right, the celebration was one big samba, with music and local celebrities keeping everyone entertained. But come 1:30 p.m. the televised proceedings from Copenhagen held us rapt. Rio had lost its 2012 Olympics bid (and at least two others before it), but now following a two-year campaign it had beat out second front-runner Madrid (which was booed when the name came up during the announcement), Tokyo, and Chicago. Not quite gingerly but politely enough, many Brazilians, and even some North American visitors, remarked that Chicago would have been a boring choice - "it's South America's time!" nodded one visiting American journalist.
RIO
DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - Obrigado, Olympics Committee! A geyser-like
spray of silver confetti greeted the announcement that Rio won the bid to host
the 2016 Olympics, and the glittering cloud engulfed the jubilant crowd of Cariocas who had gathered in front of the Copacabana Beach stage, flanked by giant TV
screens, to take in the news and par-tay.
With the famed Copacabana Palace Hotel looming to the left, and the ocean to the right, the celebration was one big samba, with music and local celebrities keeping everyone entertained. But come 1:30 p.m. the televised proceedings from Copenhagen held us rapt. Rio had lost its 2012 Olympics bid (and at least two others before it), but now following a two-year campaign it had beat out second front-runner Madrid (which was booed when the name came up during the announcement), Tokyo, and Chicago. Not quite gingerly but politely enough, many Brazilians, and even some North American visitors, remarked that Chicago would have been a boring choice - "it's South America's time!" nodded one visiting American journalist.
Despite Chicago's loss, Obama himself appeared to be
in the Rio crowd, posing for photos with whomever wanted a snapshot with him and
an inanimate, makeshift Michelle. When the news was announced the glitter met
air, "Obama" went joy-joy wild, and was lifted above the crowd by his literal supporters. OK, so maybe it's
just a local guy who goes by "Obama", who I'm told shows up "wherever there's
a TV camera around." Unlike the Hawaiian-born President, Rio's "Obama" didn't
appear to speak any English; when I asked how he felt about Chicago
losing and he merely nodded and smiled. Perhaps he's
really articulate in Portuguese?
The flags waving, giant Olympics banners flying overhead, and confetti drifting, the crowd of thousands danced with fervor. The party continued through the weekend, with the concert stage blasting music again on Sunday, although the celebration stopped early due to uncharacteristically rainy weather. Come evening, things began settling back into place, and a soccer game had the jersey-clad locals glued to sports bar and home TV screens.
But the discussions about the ramifications of the Olympics have only begun. To some locals, this means major new, modern facilities, upgrades, and transportation throughout Rio over the next seven years. It's fortunate that Rio will host the World Cup in 2014, meaning there has already been some planning, and by then many new facilities and efficient modes of transportation will be in place. But to other Cariocas and Brazilians, the win represents a long-anticipated acknowledgement. "For years, Brazil was the country that 'could' or 'would,' or 'had potential,'" said João, an especially proud and joyous Brazilian. "All we needed was validation, and something like this is what we were waiting for. This is it."
For more on Rio, check out Traveler's Places of a Lifetime overview of the city. And read through Lucy's I Heart My City: Rio for a local's take on what to do and see in the city.
Photos: Lawrence Ferber
Subscribe to RSS feed
Subscribe to RSS feed
Brazil is already win the Olympics session
That was fun. And BTW, that soccer game that "had the jersey-clad locals glued to sports bar and home TV screens" was a Flu-Fla derby. And yeah, since Fla's the countries favorite team and Flu's also a Rio team, that's always a huge game.
It definitely was "South America's time." And Lula did a fantastic job over the past two years wooing heads of state and IOC officials.
My hometown, Chicago, would have been a fine choice as well. But there was too much baggage attached to the USOC bid. And as easy as it is to like Lula and his improbable story (even moreso than Pres. Obama's) the IOC simply did the right thing.
This is going to be great.
John Gamble
http://www.riotudobom.com
It's a great news for Rio. The people there seems to be so happy! They are going to host 2 great events...